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Fisherman Restaurant is located at a rather decrepit part of town and maintains an unassuming facade. I’ve always wanted to check the place out and went with a couple of friends last night for dinner.

The place even has it’s own 24 hour security detail…living out of cardboard boxes. I’m sure that provides a very nice ambiance for some people, but it didn’t do much for me. ;)

Fisherman Restaurant’s main claim to fame is being featured on TV3’s Jalan Jalan Cari Makan. They’re the first in Sibu to get on the TV food program as an eating establishment serving authentic Melanau food.

Complimentary keropok (local prawn crackers) is served when the diners are seated. It’s actually made of fish and expands to a gigantic size when deep fried.

The service at Fisherman Restaurant is excellent, with a lounge waiting area and attentive waitresses in uniform. The proprietor also came over to ask how the food was, which is a nice touch.

We ordered mainly from the TV3 selected menu for their program. This was recommended by the owner as the best of the best.

This is Umai (RM 10) which is hands down the most well known Melanau dishes out there. It’s made with raw, thinly sliced black pomfret (a kind of fish) marinated in onions, chillies, and calamansi lime juice. It’s a staple of Melanau fishermen out at sea and eaten with sago.

The proprietor also recommended the Paku Santan (RM 7) which is a special that’s not on the menu. It’s local jungle ferns cooked in a rich coconut milk sauce with shrimps and chillies. I loved it but the two girls didn’t like the Spice Factor (TM) of the dish.

Lokan (RM 9) is another one of Fisherman Restaurant’s flagship dishes and it’s supposedly “the only one in Malaysia”. I’m a little skeptical about this claim since I’ve had the very same molluscs in Sabah. Lokan is a shellfish from local rivers.

This implementation takes the lokan flesh and minces it with a combination of other ingredients before stuffing it back in and deep frying it. It tastes great, this is easily the best dish of the night.

The final dish was also recommended by the proprietor since we didn’t want to eat rice. It’s Melanau Fried Bee Hoon (RM 3.50). Bee Hoon is rice vermicelli and the owner was so proud of this that he insisted we try the rice vermicelli instead of noodles. It’s actually pretty good, and the only dish that the two girls ate any significant amount of.

Fisherman Restaurant is a great place for authentic Melanau food in Sibu and it serves great food despite it’s unassuming exterior. The Lokan is a must try if you eat there.